A Typical Trackday: SpeedSF Thunderhill East HPDE

As 2018 begins, so does another season full of track time. The purpose of these articles is to keep a running journal of my experiences at the track. From the preparation, to packing up at the end of the day. This will be a look into what you can expect from a typical track day.

January 20th marked the 2018 season opener for SpeedSF Track Events. This would be one of three events I am running in the first month of the year. The car that will be a huge part of this year, is my 1997 BMW M3. It is a fully stripped out car, with a dedication towards turning consistent laps, with a heavy emphasis reliability throughout the season.

Thunderhill Raceway is tucked away in a sleepy little town in Northern California called Willows. The night before the track day, we checked into the local Best Western hotel and got a good night sleep in preparation for the day ahead.

We woke up around 7am, repacked the car and headed to the track. Well not exactly, as we needed to grab a quick coffee from the Starbucks next to the hotel. Once we had our caffeine, we jumped in the car for the quick 5 minute drive to the front gate. Upon arrival, we found a parking space in the paddock and unpacked the car.

We headed to the main building to sign in for the day and to attend the morning drivers meeting. These meetings just review the rules of the day and help clear up any confusion that the drivers have before being thrown into the deep end out on track.

The day is broken up into 4 groups (A,B,C,D) each with five, twenty minute sessions. This allows for a lot of rest between each group runnings. After the drivers meeting, we unpacked the car and laid out every thing that we would need for the day. This includes fluids, for both the driver and the car, as well as tools and even a spare set of wheels and tires with much stickier, track only tires.

Out for the first session of the day and my phone was reading 34˚F! This colder temperature meant that the track and the tires would take quite a while to heat up. Throughout the day I started to realize that the track never really would get up to proper temperatures.

In between sessions I walked the paddock just to see what other people had brought to the start of this 2018 track season, and as usual I was surprised with the wide selection of cars I’d seen. From a brand new 2018 Porsche GT3, to a mint condition little brown MK2 VW Golf and everything in between. There are always a ton of older generation BMW’s scattered around with the occasional Honda S2000 or early 2000’s era Nissan thrown in. It is so nice to see people from all walks of life enjoying this hobby. It really supports the idea that no matter what car you drive, track days can be a fun way to grow as a driver and learn the limits of your car in a safe environment that does not put others at risk.

As the day came to a close and we packed up for the day, I came in from my final session exhausted but feeling thoroughly accomplished in my efforts for the day. I ended the first event of 2018 by setting a personal best at Thunderhill 3 Mile with a 2:05.858. After chasing down low 2:06 laps all day, it felt great to finally break into the 2:05’s.

Overall it was a wonderful day and I wanted to give a big thanks to SpeedSF for hosting an amazing event. There were no incidents with other drivers and the entire day ran very smoothly with tons of friendly faces in the paddock. You can see the pictures below and even the full unedited 3rd session of the day. That session saw an R35 GTR give me a point-by, a battle with a 350z and a SpecE46 that would result in a spin. Also in this video is a few really solid laps with no traffic.

Brandon is a Porsche Fitment Expert at APEX Wheels. Prior to joining APEX in 2022, he worked as Office Manager for a Porsche & Ferrari service and race shop, guiding customers in all areas – suspension, power, aesthetics, you-name-it. His first foray into racing came In college when he was asked to assist at a PCA club race. Says Brandon, “I figured if I am already making the drive, I might as well enter the HPDE happening at the same time.” He hasn't stopped since. Among the various cars he has owned and/or tracked are a ‘74 Corvette Convertible, ’74 Firebird Formula 400, ‘17 GTI, ‘07 Cayman S, and his current ride, a ‘12 Cayman R (BGB X51 pack 3.8L) with staggered APEX EC-7RS 18x9”ET46 & 18x10” ET36 in Motorsport Gold. Fun Fact: Brandon is a big fan of SIM racing, which he uses to learn about a new track he’s going to or get a refresher on a familiar track, as well as improve his racecraft.Have questions about wheels for your Porsche? Use our contact form and ask for Brandon.